The truth about anti-flicker LCD technology

Everyone is just different when it comes to being affected by PWM flickering. Some people are simply more sensitive to it than others. I have an Asus VG248QE which uses PWM but I've never experienced any eye strains or headaches from using it and I noticed no difference in comfort after upgrading to the PWM free Acer XB270HU. What we don't really know is whether PWM can cause long term eye/health problems so even if I am not affected by PWM, I would rather play it safe so all my future display purchases have to be PWM free.
 
Woah that article is a bit old now.

Yeah many people don't see it but some do and are affected by it negatively.
I have a pal who could see an unbearable smearing/blurring effect on a GW2450HM (pre-frlicker-free update) but he was the only one among an about ten people group.
He later tried a flicker-free version and had no issues with it.

We don't all have the same eyes yeah, maybe it depends on how one's brain has been 'raised'.
You know maybe not excalty the same process but it's making me think about those people who can't stand compressed music VS. those who can't tell between the shittiest encoded mp3 and an original pcm/wav.
 
an old article and completely clueless. the whole placing a fan in front of a monitor is not designed to show you the benefits of flicker free vs flicker, but to help you identify if a panel is using a PWM / flickering backlight. he says "Yes, really, that's the best they can come up with. Honestly, if you can't just see the difference, what is the bloody point?" - you'd be hard pressed to find any monitor with PWM where you can actually SEE the flickering. it's not about that. it's about the eye strain, headaches and nasuea that many people suffer from as a result of the flicker that is the issue. you only need to look at the mass of reports of eye issues from modern LED monitors (with PWM) to realise it IS an issue, and that flicker free backlights are far better

that guy clearly didn't understand it at all
 
ps load the comments to the article and you'll see some good responses :)
 
Even if you don't necessarily see the screen flickering, the effect it has on motion is very clear.

http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/articles/pulse_width_modulation.htm said:
Where the effect of flicker can really come into play is any time the user's eyes are moving. Under constant illumination with no flickering (e.g. sunlight) the image is smoothly blurred and is how we normally perceive motion. However, when combined with a light source using PWM several discrete afterimages of the screen may be perceived simultaneously and reduce readability and the ability of the eyes to lock onto objects. From the earlier analysis of the CCFL backlighting we know that false colour may be introduced as well, even when the original image is monochromatic. Below are shown examples of how text might appear while the eyes are moving horizontally under different backlights.

Original:
blurnonesfr8m.png


Without PWM:
blurnopwmtfpe8.png


CCFL PWM:
blurccfltqqat.png


LED PWM:
blurledmhqib.png


It is important to remember that this is entirely due to the backlight, and the display itself is showing a static image.
Click to expand...

My TV has a mode which scans the backlight at 240Hz to improve motion clarity and though there is no overt flicker, some people (including myself) do still detect a slight flicker with brighter images.

During the day I can use this mode without much difficulty, but if I'm watching the TV late at night I start to get eyestrain or headaches from having this mode enabled. Switching it into a flicker-free mode, though it reduces motion clarity, avoids this eyestrain.
 
This, like all of Techradar's articles, is a clickbait article in which a journalist spends two minutes with technology he knows little about, and then writes a title in which to state his word is the almighty truth.

This particular quote should convey what little credibility the author has:

As if to confirm this conclusion, may I appeal to BenQ's own bumpf. It suggests placing a fan in front of the screen and taking pictures of the screen as the best methods to reveal the benefits of flicker free.

Yes, really, that's the best they can come up with. Honestly, if you can't just see the difference, what is the bloody point?
Click to expand...
 
"If you can't see it it doesn't matter".

LOL, what a moron who wrote that "article".
 
I used to have a pwm led monitor and there was a time it affected my vision so much I couldn't focus properly for a few weeks. I'm quite sure it was the pwm that caused this.

This article is just a clickbait.
 
Vega said:
"If you can't see it it doesn't matter".

LOL, what a moron who wrote that "article".
Click to expand...

Yeah tell me about it. I've been told I've got a carbon monoxide leak in my house, but I can't see it so I'll be fi............ X_X
 
I have an Acer XB270HU(flicker free) right next to an Asus PQ321 which uses 120hz pwm and I don't perceive or feel any difference whatsoever, ive used the pq321 extensively for 12+ hours at a time. That said, I don't doubt that there are people that are bothered by it, I'm just not one of them, so I don't really care about it at all.

The idea of 'there might be long term health implications' is silly. There is simply no reason to believe this would have any impact that CRT flicker, or Fluorescent light flicker do not have. There are many other things you do on a daily basis that have a higher risk factor.
 
Sancus said:
The idea of 'there might be long term health implications' is silly. There is simply no reason to believe this would have any impact that CRT flicker, or Fluorescent light flicker do not have. There are many other things you do on a daily basis that have a higher risk factor.
Click to expand...
I'm not saying that there are health impacts beyond the short-term eyestrain or headaches from using the monitor, but PWM is quite different from a CRT refreshing.
Having the backlight refresh at a different frequency from the LCD panel really screws with motion. I find it very unpleasant to look at.
I have no problem with CRT flicker if the framerate is matched to the refresh rate.
 
Knew it was clickbait once i saw thread title:
The truth about anti-flicker LCD technology

I mean, c'mon :p
 
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